Kapiʻolani CC students shine at HOSA Conference

Seven students from Kapiʻolani Community College competed at the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) 40th Annual International Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida, June 21–24. Six of the seven students are recent graduates of the Medical Assisting Program. Students competed in various events, vying with the top three candidates of each state’s delegation from across the world, including delegates from Canada, Puerto Rico and American Samoa.

HOSA is a national student organization endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education and the Health Science Technology Education Division of the Association for Career and Technical Education.

KapiʻolaniCC students were challenged in complex combinations of skills such as creating a video presentation, doing a medical terminology spelldown, achieving high performance on an exam or demonstrating a clinical routine.

KapiʻolaniCC students were recognized in these events:

Medical Spelling—Jolene Jordan, 2nd place

Medical Assisting—Latanya Edwards, 1st place (2nd year in a row)

Nursing Assisting—Bernadette Agcaoili, 1st place

Medical Math—Howard Dang, top 10

Clinical Specialty—Ashley Cabrito, top 10

Sports Medicine—Alden Chong and Royce Moux, move on to round 2

The students and faculty advisors participated in educational symposiums and workshops that encourage leadership development and networking with other HOSA members across the nation and the world.

Patricia O’Hagan, dean of emergency medical services, health sciences and nursing, said, “HOSA is a wonderful opportunity for healthcare faculty to expand their teaching strategies, and for administrators to serve as judges which all together support students in developing leaderships skills and enhancing their knowledge.”